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| June Athlete of the Month Deja Barber |
Time seems to stand still when Deja Barber competes for the Southeast Raleigh High track team. Competitors stop and
gravitate toward her. Every eye in the stadium seeks her out.
The stadium usually erupts in cheers when she rolls her wheelchair away from the starting line.
"Everybody stops what they are doing, and they watch her," said Gary Powers, the Southeast Raleigh athletic director. "You
can't watch her compete and it not change you. You see her effort and you have a new appreciation for having two good
legs and being able to walk and run."
Barber was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 2 or 3 years old. Cerebral palsy is a condition, sometimes thought
of as a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement.
She can maneuver a little bit with a walker but uses her wheelchair most of the time. The sophomore assumed she couldn't
follow in the steps of her older brother Dane, who was a football, wrestling and track performer at Southeast Raleigh.
But Barber will accomplish on Saturday something her big brother never did it. She is going to the N.C. High School Athletic
Association track and field championship and will win a title. She is the only entrant in the 4-A girls wheelchair shot put at
N.C. A&T.
Barber has been overwhelmed by the response she has received. There was a big crowd at the Greater Neuse River 4-A
Conference championships two weeks ago, and she had never imagined anything close to the reception she received when
she rolled through the 100 meters in an effort to qualify for the state championships.
She needed to finish in 45 seconds or less to qualify for the state meet and the P.A. announcer periodically called out her
elapsed time as she strained to go faster.
"I bowl and I play wheelchair basketball, but I couldn't imagine anything like that," Barber said. "To have everyone pulling for
you and yelling encouragement was overwhelming. Everybody was pulling for me!"
Junior teammate Jaleah Wilder said she had never seen such an outpouring of emotion.
"It made us all feel good," Wilder said. "I think everybody there was standing up clapping for her."
Barber finished in 46.2 seconds and missed her shot for qualifying for the NCHSAA 4-A girls wheelchair 100.
Barber is one of a handful of wheelchair-bound athletes at N.C. High School Athletic Association schools who competes in
track. The NCHSAA has a separate division for students in wheelchairs, and Barber will be the only 4-A girl in the wheelchair
division of the NCHSAA state championships at N.C. A&T.
This year, for the first time, the NCHSAA will have actual competition in its wheelchair division.
Jill Moore of Northwest Cabarrus was the only competitor in the 3-A girls wheelchair 1,600 last year. This year, Moore will
race against Matthew Weddington's Lindsey Good in the 1,600 and 3,200. Good will compete by herself in the 800.
"I hope some other girl in a wheelchair in 4-A hears about this and competes next year," Barber said.
Powers said Southeast has no desire to replace Paralympics competition, which is organized for people with physical
impairments.
"But we want to give every kid, every kid, a chance to be a part of high school athletics. To be a part of our team," Powers
said.
The medal Barber will receive doesn't compare with the value of other things she has gained, and the things she has given
this season to her teammates and to others.
"I am just so much better now," Barber said. "It has been far more than I ever could have ever hoped."
Barber has a helper who goes with her to school every day and pushes her chair. Until she joined the track team, there was
never a lot of motivation to handle her wheelchair by herself.
"She always has gotten around in the wheelchair," said Tim Barber, her father. "But now she pushes herself. I am so proud
of her."
It took her about 90 seconds the first time she tried to race 100 meters. She is down to 46.2 seconds, but still a long way
from the world record for a person with cerebral palsy in a wheelchair, 19.68 seconds.
"I'm so much stronger now," she said. "Wheelchair basketball and bowling helped me physically but not as much as the
track."
Southeast girls track coach Liz Peartree Gary said Barber has learned to use longer, more powerful pushes to go faster.
"At first she was using little short pushes, but she works every day in at using longer bursts," Gary said.
The whole track experience has been overwhelming, and not just to her. Powers admits that although he knew it would be a
good thing to have her on the team, he could foresee logistical problems. But transporting her, getting her into a uniform
and other details have been worked out pretty easily because of the involvement of her family.
Her father said he would do anything to support her.
"I mean, she's on the school team. The school team," he said.
Representing Southeast is important to her. For years, she cheered for the Bulldogs as Dane, her older brother and a
senior at N.C. A&T, competed. Now, Dane cheers for her.
"Deja's track is a family thing," Tim Barber said. "Dane is her biggest cheerleader. He is paying her back for all those days
that Deja cheered for him."
"I love it," Dane Barber said. "I am so proud of her."
Tara Barber, Deja's mother, heard about the NCHSAA's wheelchair division and when Powers and Gary encouraged Deja to
join the group, they had no idea of how much it would mean to her.
"I didn't think there was any school sport for me here," she said. "But I play for Southeast Raleigh High School. It has been
wonderful."
Junior teammate Amara Bell said Barber has been good for every member of the Southeast team.
"When she came out I knew it would be hard for her," Bell said. "But nothing has fazed her. She is always here, always
working."
Sophomore Sa'a Mohammed said Barber is really sweet and has a great personality, but was surprised the first day Barber
came to practice.
"She is an inspiration," Mohammed said. "You think of track as people moving around on their feet. She moves, but she
can't use her feet."
gravitate toward her. Every eye in the stadium seeks her out.
The stadium usually erupts in cheers when she rolls her wheelchair away from the starting line.
"Everybody stops what they are doing, and they watch her," said Gary Powers, the Southeast Raleigh athletic director. "You
can't watch her compete and it not change you. You see her effort and you have a new appreciation for having two good
legs and being able to walk and run."
Barber was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 2 or 3 years old. Cerebral palsy is a condition, sometimes thought
of as a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement.
She can maneuver a little bit with a walker but uses her wheelchair most of the time. The sophomore assumed she couldn't
follow in the steps of her older brother Dane, who was a football, wrestling and track performer at Southeast Raleigh.
But Barber will accomplish on Saturday something her big brother never did it. She is going to the N.C. High School Athletic
Association track and field championship and will win a title. She is the only entrant in the 4-A girls wheelchair shot put at
N.C. A&T.
Barber has been overwhelmed by the response she has received. There was a big crowd at the Greater Neuse River 4-A
Conference championships two weeks ago, and she had never imagined anything close to the reception she received when
she rolled through the 100 meters in an effort to qualify for the state championships.
She needed to finish in 45 seconds or less to qualify for the state meet and the P.A. announcer periodically called out her
elapsed time as she strained to go faster.
"I bowl and I play wheelchair basketball, but I couldn't imagine anything like that," Barber said. "To have everyone pulling for
you and yelling encouragement was overwhelming. Everybody was pulling for me!"
Junior teammate Jaleah Wilder said she had never seen such an outpouring of emotion.
"It made us all feel good," Wilder said. "I think everybody there was standing up clapping for her."
Barber finished in 46.2 seconds and missed her shot for qualifying for the NCHSAA 4-A girls wheelchair 100.
Barber is one of a handful of wheelchair-bound athletes at N.C. High School Athletic Association schools who competes in
track. The NCHSAA has a separate division for students in wheelchairs, and Barber will be the only 4-A girl in the wheelchair
division of the NCHSAA state championships at N.C. A&T.
This year, for the first time, the NCHSAA will have actual competition in its wheelchair division.
Jill Moore of Northwest Cabarrus was the only competitor in the 3-A girls wheelchair 1,600 last year. This year, Moore will
race against Matthew Weddington's Lindsey Good in the 1,600 and 3,200. Good will compete by herself in the 800.
"I hope some other girl in a wheelchair in 4-A hears about this and competes next year," Barber said.
Powers said Southeast has no desire to replace Paralympics competition, which is organized for people with physical
impairments.
"But we want to give every kid, every kid, a chance to be a part of high school athletics. To be a part of our team," Powers
said.
The medal Barber will receive doesn't compare with the value of other things she has gained, and the things she has given
this season to her teammates and to others.
"I am just so much better now," Barber said. "It has been far more than I ever could have ever hoped."
Barber has a helper who goes with her to school every day and pushes her chair. Until she joined the track team, there was
never a lot of motivation to handle her wheelchair by herself.
"She always has gotten around in the wheelchair," said Tim Barber, her father. "But now she pushes herself. I am so proud
of her."
It took her about 90 seconds the first time she tried to race 100 meters. She is down to 46.2 seconds, but still a long way
from the world record for a person with cerebral palsy in a wheelchair, 19.68 seconds.
"I'm so much stronger now," she said. "Wheelchair basketball and bowling helped me physically but not as much as the
track."
Southeast girls track coach Liz Peartree Gary said Barber has learned to use longer, more powerful pushes to go faster.
"At first she was using little short pushes, but she works every day in at using longer bursts," Gary said.
The whole track experience has been overwhelming, and not just to her. Powers admits that although he knew it would be a
good thing to have her on the team, he could foresee logistical problems. But transporting her, getting her into a uniform
and other details have been worked out pretty easily because of the involvement of her family.
Her father said he would do anything to support her.
"I mean, she's on the school team. The school team," he said.
Representing Southeast is important to her. For years, she cheered for the Bulldogs as Dane, her older brother and a
senior at N.C. A&T, competed. Now, Dane cheers for her.
"Deja's track is a family thing," Tim Barber said. "Dane is her biggest cheerleader. He is paying her back for all those days
that Deja cheered for him."
"I love it," Dane Barber said. "I am so proud of her."
Tara Barber, Deja's mother, heard about the NCHSAA's wheelchair division and when Powers and Gary encouraged Deja to
join the group, they had no idea of how much it would mean to her.
"I didn't think there was any school sport for me here," she said. "But I play for Southeast Raleigh High School. It has been
wonderful."
Junior teammate Amara Bell said Barber has been good for every member of the Southeast team.
"When she came out I knew it would be hard for her," Bell said. "But nothing has fazed her. She is always here, always
working."
Sophomore Sa'a Mohammed said Barber is really sweet and has a great personality, but was surprised the first day Barber
came to practice.
"She is an inspiration," Mohammed said. "You think of track as people moving around on their feet. She moves, but she
can't use her feet."
